It’s finally here! Euro 2012 starts in Poland and Ukraine today. On eBay, we can see fans have been getting excited about it as they prepare themselves for the upcoming matches and are ready to cheer on their favorite teams in the stadiums, at public viewing parties or in front of the TV. In anticipation to the build up for the tournament shirt sales for the England team has risen by 40% between April and May and just under 10,000 pairs of football boots have been sold on eBay.co.uk in May, as well as one football every 30 minutes.

Are you ready for Euro 2012? Benefit from football fever and help your audience find all the football equipment they need. Use banner ads, text links, logos or other product integrations to lead them to the eBay.

Below are some tips on how to best prepare:

European Championship workout plan for publishers:

1. Fans want to be close to their idols: Promote shirts from national football teams or the Premier League. Curiosities are very popular: In May a pair of signed Frank Lampard match worn football boots sold for £533**. Autographs are in a great demand too.

2. Ready to cheer: Link your ads to unique cheer equipment. Flags are still in vogue with 3,267 England flags** having been sold in May. Fan merchandise is very popular in general.

3. Ready to party: Watching football is more fun in a group and many fans are already planning their private Championship parties: Over 55,000 Plasma and LCD TV’s were sold throughout May and for every minute in the month an item of BBQ equipment was sold. Benefit from the combination of BBQ parties with public viewing and combine your ads accordingly, e.g. outdoor & party ads like picnic tables in connection with electronic ads like TVs or loudspeakers.

4. Ready to play: Watching sports reminds many people of their own childhood on the soccer fields prompting them to start working on their own physical fitness again. Around the European Football Championship fans look for sports gear like shoes, footballs or track pants more frequently.

Our fitness plan works more efficiently if you supplement your ads with relevant content like sport articles, portraits of particular football team members or tips on how to spend one`s spare time actively.

Ready, set, go! Good luck with promoting the EC!

** Data collected from Terapeak for United Kingdom market, observation period May 1st – May 31st 2012

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